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Last Updated: March 17, 2025, 12:54 IST
Mumbai’s television sector faces turmoil as 25 celebrities, including Ankita Lokhande and Tejasswi Prakash, fall victim to a multi-crore fraud.
Ankita Lokhande, Tejasswi Prakash, and Adrija Roy are among those targeted.
The television industry in Mumbai has encountered a major scandal involving a fraudulent scheme that has reportedly defrauded 25 prominent personalities, including Ankita Lokhande, Aayush Sharma, Tejasswi Prakash, and Adrija Roy, of approximately ₹1.5 crore. This unsavory development came to the forefront when a celebrity manager lodged a complaint with the Chembur police.
Allegations suggest the perpetrators enticed these celebrities into endorsing a particular energy drink, offering enticing financial incentives that ultimately failed to materialize. What initially appeared to be a straightforward promotional opportunity spiraled into a troubling financial debacle as promised payments faced consistent delays and, in the end, were not made at all.
Law enforcement officials have begun investigations into the matter, having filed a case against five suspects. They are meticulously examining financial records and communications to unearth the details surrounding this scheme.
The complainant, Andher Roshan Binder, a 48-year-old businessman involved in arranging celebrity appearances for various events, stated he was approached in July 2024 by an individual who requested the participation of 25 artists for an advertisement promoting an energy drink. The proposal seemed credible, leading Binder to move forward with the engagement.
To establish a facade of legitimacy, the alleged perpetrators provided Binder with a receipt indicating an advance payment of ₹10 lakh. However, the funds were never actually transferred. Despite this, Binder complied with their directives, including the arrangement of a promotional event in Dadar featuring numerous artists.
The promotional gathering attracted around 100 celebrities, including notable figures such as Arjun Bijlani, Abhishek Bajaj, and Harsh Rajput. Out of this assembly, 25 participants were finalized for the advertisement, with an agreed payment totaling ₹1.32 crore. To further reinforce their credibility, the accused provided Binder with an image of a cheque for ₹15 lakh as a supposed payment guarantee, promising the funds would soon reach his account.
Trusting this assurance, Binder proceeded with the advertisement shoot, which was then featured on social media platforms. The accused claimed that all payments would be fulfilled within a span of 35 days.
However, reports from law enforcement indicate that during the Dadar event, two cheques issued to the participating artists—one for ₹2 lakh and another for ₹90,000—were returned due to insufficient funds. When confronted about this, the accused attempted to alleviate concerns by asserting that ₹22.5 lakh had been transferred from Dubai in accordance with currency regulations.
Regardless of these explanations, the promised sum had not been deposited into Binder’s account even two days later.
As the situation deteriorated, additional payments also failed to come through, including a bounced cheque for ₹6.5 lakh intended for Tejasswi Prakash and another for ₹1.25 lakh meant for Adrija Roy. In an attempt to pacify the situation and prevent panic among the victims, the accused issued two new cheques on October 18, 2024—one for ₹35 lakh and the other for ₹45 lakh, assuring that these funds would be credited in two days.
Relying on their assurances, Binder intervened and disbursed ₹35 lakh of his own funds to key artists like Jay Bhanushali, Bhumika Gurung, Ankita Lokhande, Aayush Sharma, Sana Sultan, Kushal Tandon, Adrija Roy, and Abhishek Bajaj. Yet, when the ₹80 lakh cheque from the accused likewise bounced, it became evident that the entire arrangement was part of a premeditated fraud scheme.
In total, the fraudulent activity is estimated to have cost the artists ₹1.32 crore along with ₹16.91 lakh from Binder’s own funds. Upon realizing the extent of the deception, Binder approached the Chembur police, who have registered a case against the five suspects, including one individual from Madhya Pradesh. The investigation is currently ongoing as authorities work diligently to locate those responsible and recover the defrauded amounts.
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